Increasing automation in rail-bound transportation requires a deep understanding of human-machine interaction under real conditions. For human factors research, this opens up the opportunity to investigate key issues of trust, acceptance and mental stress in safety-critical and dynamic environments. Our aim is to design human-centered interfaces and ergonomic fallback levels that are not only functional but also psychologically compatible.

In the project, we deal with two central human-centered aspects of automated streetcar systems: Firstly, we are researching the trust and acceptance of passengers and other road users, for example by analyzing mobility needs and designing internal and external human-machine interfaces. On the other hand, we are developing research designs for the ergonomic design of teleoperation as a fallback level, including the investigation of cognitive load, interaction and decision-making behavior of operators in complex driving situations. The aim is to integrate psychological, ergonomic and safety-related requirements into system development at an early stage.